but constantly tapping away is just poor airmanship. Intuition and common sense should suffice, but it doesn't seem to anymore.
Indeed; and as most airfields have a DME on site one would hope a competent pilot wold be able to make a reasonable calculation about the glide path proximity when off the magenta line. But as you say "it doesn't seem to anymore." One reason could be that some operators insist/SOP on LNAV/VNAV update to the OM at all times when off the STAR. i.e. the pilot has been discouraged to use their brains and so like other piloting skills it has become decrepit. I saw it many times, when VNAV gave some nonsense about path error, that the F/O sat there wondering questioning how this could be so, but doing nothing. There were occasions where it said we were high by quite a bit and their hand was reaching for the speed brake, only for it to be refused. "Yes but, it says......." Have a look at the altimeter & DME and think again."...."Yes but, how can it say that????" ......"No idea, but it ain't correct is it." ....."Oh yeah."